Should we meet with Christians in sin?

Should we meet with Christians in sin?

Key verse: 1 Corinthians 5

v.1

- serious sexual immorality, even the pagans are shocked

v.2

- too puffed up to admit mistake

v.3

- Paul has passed judgement

- judgement is justified in the church

v.5

- deliver over to Satan

- remove them from fellowship, they will then be in Satans realm

1 Timothy 1:20

- Hymenaeus and Alexander were delivered to Satan

- Hymenaeus was a false preacher (2 Timothy 2:17)

- an Alexander is mentioned in 2 Timothy 4:14 (although this may be a difference Alexander since he is addressed as “Alexander the coppersmith”

- both men put out of the church

- God turns over these to Satan for many reasons, such as to humble or change the person etc

- Example of this:

- Job who was handed over to Satan to do as he pleases to prove loyalty (Job 1:1-22)

- Jesus in the desert (Matthew 4:1-11)

- Jesus says to Simon Peter “Satan has asked for you”, Luke 22:31-33 suggests he will go through a refining process that will strengthen faith

- A messenger of Satan as a thorn in Paul's side (2 Corinthians 12:7)

- judgement on Judas (John 13:27)

- God departed from King Saul (1 Samuel 16:12-16)

- purpose is so that they may learn not to blaspheme

- interesting to note God does not do away with those that are His when they are in sin (aka, losing their salvation), but rather a judgement comes upon them with the purpose of changing their behaviour

- may even result in death if this continues

- death of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11)

- however, this journey cannot happen in the church (for reasons we will soon see)

v.6

- peoples boasting can blind them to the sin that they continue in unrepentantly

- the reason for this process

- a little leaven leavens the whole lump

- leaven represents influence when used in the New Testament context

v.7

- removing of leaven relates to the Jews exodus from Egypt in Exodus 12

- Israelites instructed to eat unleavened bread and remove leaven from their house (Exodus 12:15)

- those who eat the leavened bread will be cut off from Israel

- therefore the unleavened bread symbolises the Israelites being freed from Egypt

- so, similar to how the Israelites were to be unleavened, we as Christians must purge our churches of leaven (the influences of sinful Christians)

- Christ referred to as our passover

v.8

- as the Jews celebrated passover without leaven we must celebrate our continual passover without the influence of sinful Christians

v.9

- clear instruction not to keep company with sexually immoral Christians

- told in 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15 not to keep company with those Christians who do not follow the epistle

v.10

- not concerned about the world

- assumes that you should not keep company with those people who are Christians

- we are meant to be in the world, but pointless to judge the world

v.11

- not even to eat

- eating a sign of acceptance of their behaviour

- very serious we keep away

v.12

- God will judge those in the world